Trolley-guard.



J. ZANOLLI.

TROLLEY GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE 2. 1914.

Patented Oct. 5

FIE-L3- INVENTOR:

WITNESSES JOSEPH ZANOLLI, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

TROLLEY-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Application filed .Tune 2, 1914. Serial No. 842,421.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr ZANoLLI, a subject of the King of Italy,residing at ittsburgh, in the State of Pennsylvania, United States ofAmerica, have invented a certain new and useful Trolley-Guard, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of de' vices which constitute thebearings for a trolley wheel which is in contact with an overhead wire.And the particular object of my invention is to provide means wherebythe trolley wheel may be readily put into normal position on the wire,may be as easily removed, which will allow free passage in eitherdirection of brackets supporting the wire, and which will in additionprevent the accidental disconnection of the wheel and wire.

These objects I attain by means of apparatus such as that illustrated inthe drawings, wherein Figure l is an elevation of the generalarrangement of all the parts in normal operating position; Fig. 2 is avertical cross section through the parts on the line A A of Fig. 1; Fig.3 is a plan View; Fig. 4 is an under-side view.

In ordinary electric motor cars the power is transmitted through anoverhead wire, drawn off by a grooved wheel in Contact from underneath,down a pole to the motor, etc. Owing to irregularities of tracks,curves, and other causes, there is difficulty by reason of therebounding of the trolley pole, and consequent disconnection of thewheel and wire. Of course, this shuts off the power and the car isstopped until the pole is pulled down and the groove of the trolleyWheel again placed under the trolley Wire.

I propose to obviate this difiiculty by providing a fork extendingupward on each side of the trolley wheel, with a finger extending acrossthis fork forming a guard, or gate, which is locked against outwardopening. This gate is made to rotate backward and forward to allowpassage of'supports for the wire.

The details of construction of my device are as follows: The trolleypole 11 is connected to the top of thecar, and transmits current fromthe wire 12, through the trolley wheel 13, and its axle 14. divided intoa fork having the branches 15 and 16, which hold the axle of the trolleyshoulder wheel, and which may be widened out to form plates a littlelarger than the wheel. The fork branch 15has a hinge 17 for obviousconvenience in assembling or repair. Now, referring to Fig. 2, on theoutside of the branch 16, I mount a rotatable shaft 18, which has fixedat its lower end a crank member 19, having two branches, 20 and 21. Atthe top this shaft is supported by 22. The portion above this shoulderis divided and extended inward in branches 23 and 24, (Fig. By a pin 25through these branches the guard finger 26 is mounted. I11 normalposition of the guard finger, its outer end rests on the shoulderportion 22 of the shaft 18, so that the finger is locked againstmovement of its inner end upward beyond the horizontal position shown.Inside the shaft 18 a small coil spring 18 is provided, which isattached to a pin 18 running through the shaft, and to the outer end ofthe guard finger, so as to exert-a constant tension downward thereon.his maintains the outer end of the guard nger seated under tensionnormally, but thespring is extensible so that the inner end of the guardfinger can be depressed to a nearly vertical position of the finger. Theshaft 18 bearing the guard finger is free to rotate in its bearing. On apin 27 through the guard branches 15 and 16, I mount a coil spring 28,which has its ends 29 and 30 extended downward to engage crank arm 21,on opposite sides thereof. In normal p0sition the spring retains theshaft in such position that the guard finger fixed thereon is parallelto the axle of the trolley wheel. 42111'] by overcoming this springpressure in either direction the (shaft and) guard finger may be turnedbackward or forward.

By this construction the guard finger 26 may admit the trolley wireeither by lateral movement, or, when the trolley pole is raised, thewire presses down on the guard ger, overcomes the spring resistance, andthe guard opens inward to admit the wire, immediately afterwardspringing up to normal locking position. The guard is absolutelyprevented from opening upward, and therefore the rebounding of the poledoes not detach the wheel from the wire. When the device comes to one ofthe supports 31 of the wire, the guard finger turns back or forward,according to the direction of progress, allowing the support to passthrough. Small rollers 32 are provided as is usual,

in position, and aspring on their purpose being to prevent friction Whenthe trolley device passes under head support, such as a bridge floor.cord 33 is attached to the crank arm 20, and this cord runs down to theend of the car, furnishing the means for lowering the trolley pole. henthis cord is pulled, force is applied through crank arm 20 to turn theshaft 18, and so moves the guard finger out of locking position andallows the device to be freely removed from the Wire.

Having thus described and illustrated my invention, 1 claim 1. A trolleyguard comprising a pole provided with a pair of plates forming a forkedframe for the trolley Wheel, a trolley Wheel journaled therein, apivoted guard finger mounted therein above the trolley Wheel and belowthe top of said forked frame, and adapted to move inward to admit thetrolley wire and laterally in both directions to permit the passage of astay Wire, said finger being supported on a horizontal pivot at the topof a rotatable shaft mounted on the frame and provided at its bottomWith a laterally extending finger, a spring to normally retain saidfinger and vertical shaft the said vertical Copies-of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the a fixed over-'subscribing witnesses.

shaft engaging the finger to hold it in normal horizontal position,substantially as described.

2. In a trolley guard, the combination With a forked frame having tWoleaves to support the trolley Wheel, and provided at the top withcontact rollers, a vertical shaft mounted on one side of said frame andheld in normal position by springs in the frame, a guard finger pivotedto the top .of said shaft v for vertical motion and heldnormally inposition by a spring in'the shaft, whereby said finger is adapted to bedepressed to admit the trolley Wire, and to be turned side- Wise withthe said vertical shaft to permit the passage of the supports of thetrolley wire, the said finger being within the trolley frame and belowthe top of the frame, and means to open the guard finger by rotating thevertical shaft, substantially as described 7 i In testimony whereof, Ihave hereunto signed my name in the presence of the tWo JOSEPH ZANOLLI.

lVitnesSes V Jo. BAILY BROWN,

Fnnnn. STAUB.

Washington, D. C.

entirely located Commissioner 'of Patents,

